


Hidden In The Pines

by TheGreatTigerGoddess



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: A/B/O, All skeletons want in your pants, Amnesia, Angst, Big wildlife, Communication Issues, Crooks and Blue as sweeties, Crooks is named Paps here, Ecto-Genitalia (Undertale), Ecto-Penis (Undertale), Ecto-Tongue (Undertale), F/M, Fluff, I just couldn't figure out a way to write it, Ice Age Animals, Multi, Plane Crash, Redwoods type forest, Sam helps with that, Sam is best son, Slow Burn, Smut, Survival, Tons of drama, Violence, Wilderness Survival, You have a son now, and fast burn, and your small, basically everything is on steroids, big danger noodle, but Skele's want to give you more kids, idk how long this will be, its good to stay close to the guys, pack tendencies, reader is female, reader is good with her hands, reader is somewhere in between, so I scrapped it, this is a replacement story for Fallen Land and FL 2.0, watch out for Edge and Axe tho, you and a kid only survive, you and the kid have it, you do let them get some tail, you just want to be left alone with your new son, you name him Sam
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:19:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26972032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatTigerGoddess/pseuds/TheGreatTigerGoddess
Summary: Replacement story for The Fallen Land and FL 2.0.Reader and a young child are stranded after their plane crashes in a strange world full of long extinct animals and weird animated skeletons. All you want to do is take care of the child but with 9 Skeleton Monsters breathing down your back its kind of hard to do so.
Relationships: Axe/Reader, Black/Reader, Blue/Reader, Crooks/Reader, Dings/Reader, Edge/reader, Red/Reader, Stretch/reader, rus/reader
Comments: 69
Kudos: 237





	1. The Fallen

Screaming.

That's what you heard through the noise.

Screaming and the roar of the engine exploding. The cries of the people around you as well as the top of the trees that the plane hit as it fell clung to your mind like a kite string stuck in a tree. No matter how many times the wind blew against it the string would still be there.

You gasped as you woke. Cold air stung your lungs from the sharp inhale but it woke you from the clouded haze your mind had been in due to your unconscious state. Green and brown. Those were the main colors you were able to see through the blotched and blurred vision you had. No doubt you had hit your head but the thought that concerned you was how hard.

The dirt under your hands was cold. It had a slight bite to it telling you that it had started to freeze due to the cold weather. The question though was where in the ever living tit sucking hell were you that there was going to be snow? Sitting yourself up with a groan as you felt your sore muscles yell at you to lay back down you tried to clear your vision enough to see where you were.

The scattered remains of the plane you had been on littered the ground around you. There was definitely no way of fixing it and you were sure you wouldn't be able to get anything useful out of it for some sort of shelter. You must not have been out of it for to long since many of the fires that were burning around you were still going. Unfortunately the plane wasn't the only thing that didn't make it through the crash. There laying strewn both in the middle of the crash site and out were the few passengers and the crew that were now dead.

You couldn't recall exactly how many passengers there were with you. Honestly, you couldn't remember anything. Who were you? Why were you on that plane? Why and how did it crash? Hell where in the ever living hell were you? You had absolutely no idea and that scared you.

Standing, only to find that a pain in your thigh made you aware that you were injured, you hobbled over to see what you could scavenge. From where you were you saw that you were on a hill a few yards from where the plane had landed. Trees as tall as buildings and looked like that of those similar to the ones in the Redwoods forest. Thick enormous trunks that easily should fit a small house in just the trunk alone. They were scattered everywhere and from the hill you could slightly see through the trees to tell that they went on forever. How far exactly you weren't sure but you knew it was pretty fucking far.

As you were picking through the debris trying to at least find your things, or what you thought were your things, you rounded a large piece of the plane only to jump in fright when a small hand grabbed your leg. Panicking you fell back to scoot away only to notice that it was the young woman that was on the plane with you. Blood covered her face from the large gash she sported and from the amount of blood that soaked the ground under her you could tell that something major had been severed and that she was slowly going to die. The hand that she had grabbed you with pulled back and tapped on the chair that was on top of her. Her mouth opened and closed but you were only able to hear the garble of blood that clogged her throat and mouth. You got the message though.

Standing back up you stepped closer to crouch down next to her and lifted the chair up and off of her. It was when you threw the chair to the side and completely off of her that you saw why she had wanted to get your attention. There strapped to her chest in a makeshift and poorly made harness was a child. It didn't look no more than at least five years old and looked untouched. You figured that the mother had realized what was happening and took action to make sure that her child was safe. In which she used not only her jacket but also the child's own blanket to create the harness it was in. From what you could tell her quick thinking had saved its life. The only problem though was how in the hell were you going to take care of a child. That was the real reason the mother stopped you. She knew she wouldn't make it and the tear filled eyes she was giving you begged for you to take care of her child and make sure it survived. But you didn't even know if you were going to survive. For fucks sake you didn't even know where the fuck you were. How were you going to take care of yourself and a child.

You should have just walked away. Pretended you didn't see anything. Acted like they were both dead and moved on. Just leave. It was so easy. No one else looked like they survived. No one will know.

You reached out and untied the child.

As much as you knew it was going to slow you down you just couldn't bear with the thought of leaving a innocent life to die here alone. Thankfully the child was small. You would be able to carry it with ease if you made your jacket into a sling. Picking up the kid you noticed that it was a small boy no older than five. Good no diapers for you to change. It should be able to take care of the bathroom part by itself at least. Taking your belt you tied it over your jacket to make a tight sash. It hung tightly over your shoulder to pull against your hip. The child would be able to comfortably lay inside your thankfully oversized jacket comfortably without the threat of falling or sliding out since the belt would keep him in place.

Pulling the kid close you hear his mother try and speak again. Looking down you placed a hand on her shoulder giving it a slight squeeze as you saw a tear roll down her cheek.

"Don't worry, I'll keep him safe. You can rest now." You said softly. Sadly she did pass not a moment after you spoke. Another tear leaving her eyes as her head slowly went limp and you heard the almost silent release of her breath through her parted lips.

You were sure you had seendeath before. Probrably having done so when your own parents and grandparents passed? You oddly weren't sad for the idea of losing them. Yet this mother's death hit you in a way that made your own eyes fill with tears. But you wouldn't shed them. You would do that once you got both of your asses out of here. If you could get out of here.

Standing you made sure that the child was properly secured before you continued your trek through the debris to see if you could find anything else. Unfortunately you didn't find anything to useful but you did happen to find your duffle bag and the kid's mother's luggage. Thankfully the kid's clothes weren't destroyed and you took all of them that you could fit into your bag. You also took the blanket that was tied around his mother. It was definitely cold here and you were sure you were going to need it when you left him alone for a while to look for food. You knew you were not going to be able to take the kid with you when you went to go look for food so keeping him warm while you were away would be a must.

You walked for a good solid hour as you moved away from the crash sight to find a safe place to make camp for the time being. Once you found it though the real work would begin. All around you the sounds of strange creatures echoes and cried. Some of them were really kind of scary while others sounded more like a weird bird. The idea of staying in the trees drifted in your mind a few times as you had seen some of their thick branches reach out towards the sky. But getting to the high up limbs was going to be trouble some. Maybe you could build a shelter from them? They were pretty large if you could cut some down. The downside to that was it would take you forever to clean the branches and actually build something. That and you still needed to find a better spot. Here it was to active from the tracks you could see and the claw marks on the trunks of the trees themselves. It was to dangerous of an area.

Walking through the trees you stumbled upon a clearing. Here there were small bits of grass that actually grew around the largest tree you had seen in this forest. Massive with limbs that would absolutely kill anyone on impact stretched from the base all the way up till you couldn't crank your head any further. And oh what joy you took when you saw that there was an opening in the trunk itself. Well not really an opening. It wasn't like the tree was hollow on the inside or anything but the way its roots splayed out made it look like a shelter you could definitly use. Smiling you briskly walked over to check it out.

Shockingly as you got closer you noticed that it was bigger than you saw at the edge of the clearing. From where you were before you would have guessed it would have been the size of a small car but now that you were actually here you would compare the size to two dually trucks that were parked side by side together. So to say there was plenty of room. That and apperanly the roots had formed together to completely block out the light above. Stepping inside you couldn't see a single opening through the roots above and as you bent down to touch the pine littered ground you had indeed confirmed that water did not come in here often. It was perfect.

Slinging the douffle bag off your shoulder you tossed it on the ground in the back of the tree cave. Now that you had found a place to stay for the time being you needed to work on getting a fire. Obviously you were going to steal some from the crash site. You had nothing to make one of your own yet so why waste effort in looking when you could get some where you already knew there was some already. _**Why waste energy**_? You heard an old voice you didn't recognize say in your mind. The only downside was that you didn't want to take the kid with you back to the crash site. If you could you would have but you needed him to stay so you could have free room to grab more items that you might need.

Thankfully as you unzipped the jacket the kid was still sleeping soundly. His head layed between your breasts a small bit of drool coming out of his partly opened mouth. He was adorable you had to say and odly enough looked like of like you. Which was weird because his mother looked nothing like you and was a shade or two off from your own skin tone and her hair was a completely diffrent color. But lo and behold to your suprise you were basically carrying around a mini male version of you. Anyways you needed to get back on track. Shaking your head you stepped over to the duffel bag and opened it before placeing the child inside. It would act as his bed for now until you were able to find some stuff to make one. Taking the kid's blanket you wrapped it around him to make sure that he wouldn't get cold.

That was another thing you would need to do. The tree cave definitly needed to be swept out as well as have a blockage to the entrance. Something that would keep the cold air out at night so you wouldn't have to freeze in your sleep. Sighing you already started to make a to-do list in your mind.

Fire and supplies.

Food.

Make cave safe.

Check child for injuries when he wakes.

Try and survive.

( **An hour and a half later** )

You groaned as you lifted another one of the cushions you had manage to take off the seats and tossed it onto the large peice of metal you had found. It made a great sled and a perfect thing for you to pile stuff onto so you could take with you. You had managed to find some usefull things from the plane itself such as an axe, a bag of rope, and some granola bars that had managed to survive albeit they were a bit crushed. You also found a inflateable raft. It would make a great place for a bed as you could lay the cushions inside as well as the new blanket you also found.

Once you gathered all you could find you left the makeshift sled to look for something you could use to collect the fire with. It was to bad you couldn't find a shovel with the axe but you did manage to find a pretty large stick you could use as a torch for now. Picking it up the stick was roughly the full length of your arm and thick enough for it to not burn down to quickly. Wrapping a shirt that had been on the ground you dipped it into the gass from the plane and wrapped it around the top of the stick before you walked over to where one of the fires was still going. The flame caught on the fabric easily.

Now having all that you need for now you turned, grabbed the 'sled' and started to make your way back. Little did you know though was that you were being watched by a pair of glowing red eyes.


	2. Initial Setup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Player Red!

You huffed as you plopped yourself down onto your new makeshift bed. Of course the raft had a hole in it so it wasn't able to inflate like you had wanted but thankfully you had a sewing kit in your duffle bag. Unfortunately you had to move the kid in order to get it and it ended up waking him up.

To your utter surprise the kid didn't cry when he woke up. Instead he just opened his eyes and stared at you before looking around the camp. "Where am I?" He asked his voice sounding a bit hoarse.

"I'm not sure. Do you remember anything before you fell asleep?" You asked brushing some of his hair out of his face.

The kid seemed to try and think about it though when you saw him begin to panic you figured that he actually might not remember anything just like you. It was only confirmed when he shook his head at you while tears started to form in his small eyes. "I-I cant remember. Why can't I remember? Why am I here?" The kid cried gripping onto the sleeves of your dark green shirt, since you had taken your jacket off since you were getting warm from all the movement you were doing, as he pressed his face into your shoulder.

You felt bad for him but at the same time the fact that the kid might have amnesia was well was good for you. It would mean that you didn't have to lie to him about what happened to his mom since he wouldn't be asking for her any time soon until he got back some of his memories. Rubbing his back you let him cry it out knowing that it would be best for him. Hell you wanted to cry to but you knew better than that. It would only make the kid panic more and right now you needed to be the strong one for him.

Once you got him to settle down you figured it was best to change his clothes. Thank the stars his mother had prepared for the cold weather and had brought him some long sleeve clothes and warm ups. You were also glad he had socks and some good shoes. It meant he wouldn't be getting to cold anytime soon. As you changed him into the new close you could tell the kid was thinking hard about something.

"What's the matter?" You asked zipping up the bag.

"D-do you know who I am?"

You stiffened. What do you say to that? Do you say yes and make some shit up or tell him no and make him feel like he's alone? If you say yes he would be happy but expectant of you to help him remember. If you said no then the poor kid would be a depressed mess. Ugh, what do you do!?

Before you had a chance to come to a complete decision your mouth opened. "Of course I know you! Who would forget a cutie like you?"

"Then do you know my name?"

"Sure! Your Sam! My sweet Sam." You said nearly sweating bullets hoping he had bought your lie. Honest to god you had no idea what this kid's name was and said the first name that came to your head. Hell you didn't even think you knew a Sam so where the ever living fuck that name came from was a mystery to you.

"I'm yours?"

"Yup."

"Then does that make you my mommy?"

**Fuck!**

"Uhhh... Want something to eat? You have been sleeping for a good while. I'm sure your starving." You said quickly dodging his question. You were going to take care of the kid sure but for him to be calling you mommy after you literally saw his real mother die just a few hours ago didn't sit well with you. Maybe once you laid her to rest and let her go for a few days then maybe you would consider taking up that role but right now to be called mom didn't exactly work for you.

The kid nodded at the idea of food and watched you as you turned around to look through the pile of items in the sled. When you found the granola bars you prayed that the kid didn't have any allergies and gave him one that you had opened for him. The kid happily ate and thank god he didn't have a reaction to anything in it. Couldn't have him croaking on you from a snack. That would be so fucked up.

Getting up you went back to finish what you needed to do. Sam sat and watched as you went about cleaning the area around the cave making sure the needles and stuff was discarded away from the area as well as making a pit for the fire. The hole was what gave you the workout since the ground was hard and packed. By the time you got it deep enough to where the ash wouldn't be blown out by the wind you took your still burning torch and delicately placed it in the center of a small stack of broken branches you had collected. Once it caught you sighed in relief knowing that you now had a fire to keep you warm. Now the last thing you needed to do before you went to look for some real food was to make a barrier of sorts from the entrance. Not a full one or else the smoke from the fire would fill the cave but something that would block out some of the wind.

Sam followed you as you walked outside of the cave to look for something you could use. There were plenty of large branches, some of them larger than you. Thinking you thought that if you split them into fours and cleaned them up a bit you could manage to make a good size fence around the entrance. It would block out the wind since the entrance was much larger than you height wise. At least a good ten feet taller than you and the branches were bigger than you by a foot. For now though they would protect you two from any predators that might want to come inside. Thinking that it was the best idea you put yourself to work.

It was sundown by the time you finished. Sam had been a good little helper surprisingly. He helped you pick up the bark you peeled off the branches to use as tinder along with whatever small chunks that came off. He also helped in holding the now newly made posts up as you beat them into the ground, which was hard in itself since the ground had only softened slightly from the heat of the fire. Now all that was left to do was go looking for food and a clean water source. The food part could wait until tomorrow though but for now you needed to get Sam something to drink before he whines about it in the middle of the night, which you were prepared to sleep through from how exhausted you were already.

"Sam." You called looking over to the kid whom was throwing small pieces of bark into the fire to watch it burn. The kid looked up at you waiting for what you were going to say. There was a bit of dirt on his face and although he looked dirty he looked absolutely adorable the way he sat there. "Do you want to come with me to get water or do you want to stay here?"

Sam seemed to think on that as he looked outside and then back at the fire in front of him. "Can I say here?"

"Only if you leave the fire alone and stay on the bed till I get back. You can even have another granola bar. In fact I'm sure I saw a chocolate one in the sled." You said trying to hide the smile that grew from the excited reaction he gave you at the mention of chocolate. Sam quickly nodded his head and ran to sit himself on top of your new bed to wait for you to give him the snack. You did chuckle at this which made Sam smile back at you.

_Oh this kid was just to cute._

Once you gave him the snack you tried to look for something you could hold water in. Unfortunately the only thing you could use was the plastic bag you had the granola bars in. The downside was that it wouldn't be till you got to the water and filled it up that you would see if it had a hole in it or not. If so then you were just going to have to come back and find something else.

"I'll be right back, ok?" You asked heading to the entrance of the tree cave. You didn't get to far before you felt something crash into your leg almost knocking you over. Sure enough when you looked down Sam was there trying to squeeze the shit out of it in a hug.

"Please come back."

You almost didn't even go with how sad he sounded.

"I'll try Sam. Be good and stay here. I wont take long." You gave his head a soft pat before you turned and left.

You didn't get very far from the camp before you came barreling back when you heard Sam's screams echoing behind you.

( **Red** )

He had been asleep when he had heard the screeching of whatever the thing was that had crashed inside he and his brother's territory. It sounded huge and from the destruction that he had seen as he had climbed out of the fallen tree, they had made a home in, it had been going fast enough to create a massive impact zone. Edge had been out hunting so he wasn't going to be back any time soon so it was up to him, unfortunately, to figure out what and why this thing was doing in their territory.

By the time he got there though he noticed that whatever this thing had been was already destroyed. Hell even the charred and dead flesh covered skeletons that he guessed were inside it were also gone. Not that he was going to help them anyways. Honestly it was easier for him as he would just pick through their stuff anyways to see if there was anything good for him to take.

Teleporting next to a large piece of metal that easily hid his large six foot something form he stopped himself from moving when he saw something moving to his left. Quietly he looked around the corner and there he saw or what he thought he saw was a female. She wore a thick jacket that protected her from the cold and her black jeans were dirty and slightly torn in some places. She wasn't lean but neither chubby and from what he could see as she slung the bag over her shoulder was that she also had a pup. Whether or not it was hers was unknown since all he could see was the top of its head as it slept inside of her jacket.

It was then that the wind blew towards him that he had to teleport away from her. Her scent was intoxicating. Even with the smell of the dead and the burning things around her the smell of her had him drooling a river and pitching a tent. Red cursed himself from not being able to control himself but hot damn. Hell he didn't even need to think on whether or not he even wanted a human mate let alone one with a pup at that. Red didn't care if it wasn't his since once he got her he was sure she was going to give him as many as she could shit out once the cycles came.

Red didn't think he would have a problem in gaining her favor. She just landed in a place unknown to her with no food or shelter. It was simple. All he had to do was just show her that he could support and protect her like a proper male should and she would be begging him to bend that body of her's over and fuck her until her tight little cunt was dripping his seed. The only problem with that though was his brother. Sure he would be fine with her since she would be apart of their pack, even if it was just the two of them, but Red was sure that his brother wouldn't take to the pup in her possession. His brother was the Alfa and when they find a female that they liked that had pups already then it was game over for them. His Alfa would have no quarrels with killing the pup in order to get her to go into an early heat again. As much as Red liked the idea of rutting her into the ground he was even more sure that he wouldn't do it with the dust of a child on his hands. It just wasn't him.

Red followed the female as she left the crash site. She wasn't carrying much with her and Red was sure that she was going to need more than what she might have had in that bag of her's . It was cold where she was. Having landed in the middle point of all their territories. Not that she were going to be in danger for doing so. Especially when he saw where she was heading.

The Grand-Pine was where she had decided to call home. It was the biggest tree in the forest and from the magical surges he could feel coming from it told him that it was still going to stay grand for a hell of a lot longer. The tree was the reason they were all there. He and his brother were the Fell pack, then there was the Swap, the SwapFell, and lastly the one that he hoped the female would never meet, the Famine pack. Each pack had at least two skeletons except for the Swap pack. They were the only one with a Wingdings. Though the tall skeleton was the Alfa of that pack he was to soft to really lead.

Anyways back to the tree. The tall hunk of wood was the reason why they couldn't leave since it created a barrier around the forest and the surrounding mountains. It was way to strong for he and the others to try and break through and as much as they tried to figure out a way to get out there was no possible outcome other then that they were stuck. And so they stayed here inside the barrier. How long though he had no clue. It had been many seasons that had come and gone and now he couldn't possibly remember what it was like outside of the barrier. All he knew now was just one simple thing, survival.

Due to there being more than one clan the group of skeletons decided to divide the area inside of the barrier into four territories. The North in the mountains was for the Famine pack, South was he and his brother's, East was the Swap, and the West was the SwapFell's. The area around the Grand-Pine was the neutral zone. A space where the Swaps usually met to trade with the SF's for food or furs and bullshit he couldn't care about. Thankfully she showed up the day after the two packs had met up. It would mean that they wouldn't come nearer the tree for about a month which gave him plenty of time to try and get her good side before they decided to try and take her for themselves.

Red watched from the shadows above her in the tree as she worked to make the hollow made by the roots a home for her pup and herself. Though he didn't expect her to leave the pup alone the first time. Normally the female would feel unsafe with leaving a pup in an unknown territory by itself and so took them with her. Yet here she was leaving her bag and the pup alone. It didn't matter anyways, he would watch the pup till she got back.

It was almost a good two hours before she did though. Red's eye lights snapped to the edge of the clearing where she was coming. She had a large chunk of metal pilled with things he figured she thought would be useful. It was then that he saw her disappear into the hollow and the wails of the crying pup reached his non existent ears. It wasn't loud but it did unsettle him to have it crying. It would alert any predators that could be near by especially if they were a certain nine foot giant skeleton. Thankfully she had calmed it down.

The rest of the day was spent watching her fix the area around the tree. For a female that just landed in butt fuck nowhere Red found that she was pretty efficient on her own. She had made a pretty good looking camp in the last few hours of the day. Hell it looked a lot better than the fallen hollowed out tree he called a home. The inside however he couldn't see but he was sure she had made it habitable.

Just as the sun was about to set he realized one thing. Here she was working to get her pup a safe place to live and she not once had brought any food for them to eat. Nor had she brought any water with her as she trekked back and forth from the crash site. There was a stream she could use to the left but it was in the Famine pack's territory. He couldn't allow her to go there. So standing from his perch he teleported back to his own home to pick up one of the pots made by Blue. He would fill it up and bring it to you with something to eat.

(A moment later)

Red stood outside the entrance to her new home. The rabbit in his hand long since dead hang limp with fresh blood dripping down its body to land in the dirt under it. The female wasn't here and he wasn't sure if he should go inside and wait for her to get back or stay out here. The entrance to the hollow was big enough for him to go in but if he was wrong and she was inside he was in for a nasty surprise. So he decided to stay put here.

Then an idea came to him. Placing the clay pot of water down he skinned then gutted the rabbit and skewered it before placing it over the fire. He figured the smell of the cooking meat must have gained the attention of the pup as he had heard its small rustling from inside. He didn't make a move though. He didn't want to give it a reason to feel like Red would harm it. In fact if he were to gain the favor of the pup then it would be easier to get the female on his side as well. Red's smile twitched pleasantly at the thought. Though it quickly faltered when he heard the child's scream rip though the camp as it stood there looking in utter horror at him.

( **Sam** )

Mommy said I should wait here for her to come back but she was taking so long. I clutch onto the blanket and played with the strings that were coming off of it, plucking a few more loose.

It was dark now. I don't really like the dark. Its so scary because I can't tell if mommy is coming back and I cant see past the fence that she and I had made. I was so happy that she let me help her make it. I did like she said and picked up all the pieces like she asked. Though I couldn't pick all of them up. There were just to many but she seemed happy with the ones that I did get. Her smile made me smile. I hope that she will keep smiling if I keep helping her.

I happily laid down on the bed she made. It was itchy but it was also comfy. So long as I kept some of the blanket under me I wouldn't be able to feel the itchy stuff it was made of. It was big. Enough for me and her to laydown together any way we wanted. I stretched out onto the bed and felt my foot kick the paper from the snack she gave me.

It was super yummy. Would she bring me more if I be good? Did she like them? I didn't see her eat one when I woke up. In fact I didn't see her eat anything today. Was she not hungry? Did she not like the ones she had here? Would she be happy if I found her some? She should right?

I jumped when I heard a noise outside. It sounded big but I couldn't see anything. Could it be mommy? She did say she would be right back. Taking the blanket off I walked over to the opening and peeked outside.

It wasn't mommy.

It was a monster.

A big monster.

I screamed.

* * *

Crashing into the clearing, out of breath and hackles raised, you looked for what had caused Sam to scream and to your utter shock there standing near the fire between you and Sam was an enormous living breathing skeleton. There was no rotting flesh or disgusting smell you would associate with a dead body. Nor was there anything that should have kept this thing alive yet here it fucking was standing a good foot and a half taller than you looking like it got caught. Which it did.

"Sam get back inside." You barked not looking away from the thing in front of you. When Sam didn't move you yelled at him again. " **Now** Sam."

That made him snap into attention. You watched from the side as he scurried back inside. A small sigh blew through your nose but you didn't relax yet. Getting into a fighting stance you tried to walk around it to try and block its way from your home. Thankfully you were able to stand in front of it and thank whatever god you could think of that you had left the axe next to it. You would be able to grab it and swing it in time if you need to. You weren't going to let your guard down. Not until you either figured out why this thing was here or got rid of it.

The skeleton seemed to see your hand slowly inch toward the axe and raised it's boney hands up to show you that it did not mean you any harm. He, or at least you thought it was a he from the way it was dressed in red and black furs, stepped aside and gestured over to the thing cooking over her fire pit. You glared at it. It looked like a rabbit on steroids. The damn thing was the size of a medium dog and if it was alive you were sure would reach your knee.

Did this thing come here to use your fire or was it offering you it's meal? You glared back at it when it moved again over to the other side of the pit. Thinking that it was grabbing a weapon you grabbed yours and rushed it. Swinging the axe down you had thought that you had got it but once you felt it move on its own you quickly realized you were wrong. The skeleton had easily grabbed the axe from the handle and lifted you into the air slowly like you weighed nothing. Your eyes went wide for a second before you felt the air around you turn and you were slammed on your stomach into the dirt.

You tried to get back up yet as you did you felt the monster's large hands press you further into the ground. You tried to suppress a whimper when you felt it's hot breath against the back of your neck along with the low growl. The only way you could possibly describe it was demonic. It was to low to even register out of something alive and the power of the vibrations that you felt run along your spine nearly had you shudder.

This was it.

This was how you died.

...

...

...

Or not?

Just as you were questioning which belief you were going to pray to the creature on your back removed itself from you before wrapping an arm around your waist to set you on your feet. Quickly, when you got your footing back, you put a reasonable amount of distance between the two of you. Why had it not killed you when it had the chance? Unless you were completely wrong and it had no I'll intent this whole time? Was that it? You watched as it sighed and sat itself down next to the fire. It looked over at you and you could see that its red eye lights looked tired.

Wait.

How could it do that?

You were pretty sure you weren't seeing things right?

He, or at least you thought it was a he, patted the ground next to it like he wanted you to come and sit down next to him. Ha! No. Not happening. Instead you walked to the opposite side of the pit to sit against one of the massive roots. The two of you sat in silence for a while until the skeleton tried to talk to you. Or at least you thought he was. It sounded like a bear and a blender had a child. It was a low deep garbled mess that you had absolutely no idea what it meant.

"I can't understand what your trying to say." You said dryly.

The skeleton seemed to understand that though.

 _Huh so he can understand_ _you but not the_ _other way around. Weird_. You thought.

Tapping on his sternum with his index finger he then pointed to the fur vest like thing on his chest.

You cocked your head at him. It wasn't until that he did it again that you realized that he was trying to introduce himself. You watched again. He pointed to the red part of his fur vest and this time pointing to his eye lights, or whatever the hell you would call those glowing weird things. What was similar between the two? What made them so special that he'd be named it? Then realization hit you. God you were so dumb. You could smack your head if it wouldn't give you a bigger head ache than the one you already had.

Red.

The damn thing's name was Red.

Apparently you had said it out loud from the excited and pleased look on it's face.

Sighing you rubbed your temples trying to think of something simple to ask him. Maybe you could get some answers to where the hell you were or at least figure out why the hell this thing was here in the first place. Should you ask him that first? You decided you should.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" You asked trying to keep your voice as neutral as possible.

Red pointed to the rabbit cooking on the fire then to the pot of water, that you had just now noticed, before pointing to you and the tree cave.

Your brows raised as his gestures registered. He had brought food and water for both you and Sam. But why? You didn't know this thing. Why was it doing this for? Unless it had an ulterior motive? Did it want to gain your trust by tempting you with food and then when your guard was down try and kill you? Actually now that you thought about it the damn thing still had your axe. It was your only weapon and now it had been taken.

Fuck. How could be so stupid by letting him take it? Damn it!

"How did you know that we were here?" You asked. If he found a way to find you then surely if there was more of these things they would also find you.

Red pointed to his eye socket again then into the air where he made a motion like his hand was falling before he smacked his femur.

 _So he had seen the plane crash then._ You thought.

"Are you the only one here or are there more of you?" You asked.

Red seemed to think for a second before pointing to himself and then holding up nine fingers.

You stiffened. Nine. There were nine fucking skeleton monsters here! But where? Where were the others? Were they close? Were they watching you right now?

You started to panic a bit.

"Mommy?"

If you weren't sitting you were sure you would have jumped twenty feet in the air right then. When in the hell did Sam sneak up on you you had no idea but it scared the ever living shit out of you. Your gasp and reaction seemed to amuse both the child and Red. You heard Red growl out something then and it seemed to catch Sam's attention.

Sam reached out and tugged on your sleeve. "Mommy what does he mean by not minding seeing you jump out of your clothes'? Can you even do that?"

Both you and Red looked at the kid now with shock written all over your face and his skull. You quickly grabbed Sam by the shoulders and brought yourself low to his level.

"Sam can you understand him?"

Sam nodded his head confused as to why you asked him such a thing. "Cant you?"

Both of you jumped when Red suddenly appeared next to the two of you. Instantly you pushed Sam behind you protectively and out of Red's reach. Again Red lifted his hands up as he lowered himself to sit down next to you.

Now that he was closer you were able to really get a good look at him. Not only was he tall but he was thick. The fraise Big Boned really fits right now as each of his bones looked far thicker than any normal bones you had seen. That and the way they bent as he moved seemed to you that they acted more like muscles rather than bones. Then there was the fact that they looked like they had been through the ringer. Scratches and deep indentions told you that not only had he seen his good share of fights but also that he was strong enough to survive what ever gave them to him. Well honestly you didn't need to be told that he was strong. You figured that out pretty quick when he picked you up like you were a rag doll. Then there were his teeth. This skeleton's face looked like he came out of shark week. He even had a gold tooth. Where the fuck he got that from you had no idea but it did catch your attention.

Red started talking again and you felt Sam try and peek over your shoulder.

"I'm Sam." The kid said as he listened to Red. Apparently Sam could really understand him as he answered whatever questions Red threw his way. "Mommy is my mommy... No just me... I don't know."

"Sam." You said trying to get his attention. You didn't want him giving any information to Red that she didn't feel like he should be giving.

Red spoke again this time gesturing to you but still looking at Sam.

"He said for me to tell you that... he doesn't want to hurt us."

"What about the others? You said there were eight more."

"They won't do anything while he's here."

"How can we be so sure? Listen, I don't know you and you don't know me. For all I know you could be trying to get to us so you could kill us later when our backs are turned. I'm going to let you know now, I am not a person to fuck with. You hear me? I will kill you before you even think about hurting me or Sam." You said with a snarl that shocked you. You had no idea where that came from but you were gana push it to the side for now.

Red's smile faltered but he remained calm. The next grumbled sounds that came out of his mouth weren't really what you were expecting.

"He said to let him prove it then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a heads up! I don't feel like writing Sam saying the "he said /she said" for next chapter so we gana make it simple. Red will speak like this:
> 
> /*something red would say here*/
> 
> Note that it won't be in his accent or anything just plain bold text since Sam is translating for you. After that I'll bullshit something to happen where she'll be able to understand or something idk. We'll see how it goes.


	3. Constricting Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red's annoying, you get a bath, and shit happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome to chapter three! Please keep all telling me how you feel the story is going cus I'm running out of vroom vroom juice. 
> 
> Please thanks ok bye bye.

It had been two days since you met Red. After that night of drilling him with questions on where you were and how you could possibly get out you were told that leaving was not an option. Of course you blew that off. You couldn't trust Red and you were not going to give up leaving this forest just because he said so. You needed to take Sam back to his family. His real family.

Speaking of family Red explained who the other Skeletons were. His own brother Edge was someone you would have to watch out for from what he had explained. Of course he wasn't going to tell you why but you still took the words and engraved them into your mind. And it wasn't just Edge that you were going to be weary of. It was all of them. Even if Red had said that Blue and Black wouldn't harm you were not going to let your guard down with anyone.

Another thing that Red told you was that these skeletons lived in packs of sorts. You almost laughed out loud at that but thankfully you didn't. You didn't want to insult him after all. But as he explained even though that each territory had mainly two monsters each one still had an Alpha. And Red's so called Alfa was his brother Edge.

So far other than Red and his brother Edge there was Blue, Stretch, and Dings. They owned the territory to the East which had access to the sea and lots of vegetation that could be eaten. Their Alpha was Dings, a semi soft spoken and clear minded skeleton that stayed away from conflicts if he could. The next in command was Stretch. Red said that he was easy to judge and wouldn't be someone to listen to reason if it came to one of his brothers getting hurt. Then there was Blue. Red said that he was annoying and hyper but weak and to sensitive to make any kills.

The West had Black and his brother Rus. As explained Rus was the Alpha even though his brother Black, whom was the same as Blue, thought he was more befitting of the role. Rus was laid back and lazy until it came time to hunt. Red said that when it came to it Rus would literally take to his wild side and allow his instincts to completely take over. In their territory there was more rocky terrain and bigger game. They mostly were the ones to trade furs and tools.

Then there was the Famine brothers. Axe and Paps... Stay away. That was the only thing he said really about them other than what their territory had. Which in itself wasn't much. They lived to the North where the largest and dangerous creatures live. The land itself was almost barren which gave you an uneasy feeling. If it was barren and since winter was so close whatever large creatures that lived in the territory would move down towards you all. If they were anything like the oversized rabbits that Red would bring then you were sure you would have to make some adjustments to your defenses.

That's what you were doing right now. Well at least you were trying to. Ever since you let Red stay at your camp he has been nothing but clingy. He acted like a literal giant puppy. If he wasn't following you around like one he was constantly bringing you things like you would praise him for doing so. Although it was cute in a weird way it wasn't helping him in his efforts to gain your trust. A lion can lay on it's back and make it seem playful and harmless but once your back was turned that's when it strike.

The night he showed up he had tried staying inside your tree cave when you and Sam decided it was time for bed. Boy did he get a shock when you practically yelled every slur you knew as you chased him out. Though that didn't stop him from doing the same last night. This time though he waited for you to fall asleep before he came in to wrap his body around you and Sam. Although it was warm you were not going to allow it. The moment you woke up and saw that he was there you were once again chasing him out. Now he was standing beside you watching the trees as you shoved another sharpened wood spike into the ground as you continued to make the perimeter fence.

You were sweating. The sun was doing well in keeping you warm as you worked. The frost from yesterday had disappeared but there was still a nip in the air that still made you have your jacket close. Looking up at your work you groaned at how little you had done. It took most of the morning, since sun up, to only do a quarter of the clearing with these large posts. It was definitely going to take you all day to do it and already your gash on your thigh was starting to bother you.

The gash wasn't that big but it was deep. You had cleaned it thoroughly with the water that Red had brought and wrapped it with one of the clean shirts in your bag. Though now you would or rather should change it again especially since you were sweating so much. You guessed you could take a break for a bit.

Looking around you saw Sam playing with a small lizard he had caught. He was inside the unfinished circle you were making and in plain sight for you to easily see. He was covered in dirt like a kid his age should when playing outside but he two was sweaty and probably smelled just as bad as you did right now. You wouldn't mind a bath. The question was where though?

Should you ask Red? Would he take you somewhere you could wash if you asked him? But then what if he lead you somewhere and then killed you? You still couldn't really trust him and you didn't want to leave Same here alone with him. That and you still needed to finish the damn fence. Maybe you could bathe later after you put up a few more? But you were already tired. You groaned again as you ran your hands through your greasy hair.

A sound you came to associate with a chuckle came from next to you. You looked up at Red. He had that dumb grin on his face as he looked down at you.

"And what are you laughing at?" You growled.

Red pointed at you.

Of course he was. Rolling your eyes you swatted his hand away. "Well unless you plan on helping me put these in then You can just fuck off or at least tell me where I can get cleaned up."

Red looked at you and then to the still large pile of posts you had left to put in. Lifting his hand you watched as his right eye socket erupted in a flurry of red magic and to your utter amazement the posts in the pile all lifted. Your jaw dropped as every single post was shoved in the ground in the circle that you were making leaving a space for the exit and entrance. What would have taken you at least two days to do this fucking skeleton did in just mere seconds. It blew your mind. Not only for the fact that he just used magic but this ass hole could have done that at any time yet didn't until now.

Smacking his arm you threw your hand over to your now completed fence. "You couldn't have done that earlier instead of making me work my ass off all morning?"

Red's smile turned into a smirk. Pointing to you he then used his hand to make a talking motion. You knew what he meant by that. It just still pissed you off. Basically he just said that you didn't ask him to so he didn't do it. Well shit if you knew this giant ass could do shit like that you would have had asked a long ass time ago. Fucking hell he just made you waste an entire morning.

"Your an ass you know that?" You told him as you turned to make your way back to the tree. "And here I was going to let you see me naked but I guess not." Of course you had seen him try and catch a peek at you while you changed this morning. The ass had thought he was being sneaky by looking like he was asleep but the tell tell glow of his eye light told you that he was very much awake. You had no idea of he was even attracted to you or was just curious but you guessed he really have the parts for the first one. Right? Yeah he wore pants but you didn't see anything what would tell you that he had a pecker or anything hiding in those fur trousers of his.

As you walked away you heard the thumps of his feet as he tried to catch up to you. Not that he had to rush to catch up to you anyways since he was to fucking big in the first place. As you go close to the tree you turned slightly and held out a hand telling him to stay there. The defeated look on his face made the corner of your mouth twitch as you tried to hold back a smile. Going inside the tree you went over to your bag and grabbed some clean clothes for you and Sam. You had found a cute onesie that was solid black with rainbow colored zebra stripes. It was so cute and you really wanted to see him in it. That and it would keep him warm tonight when it got cold again.

Once you had everything you walked back out to find Red sitting by the fire staring into it glumly. You chuckled to yourself. He must really wanted to see you naked huh? Well a little peak wouldn't hurt right?

"Hey big guy." You said catching his attention. His deep red eyes looked at the items in your hands before looking up at your face. "You wanted to see me naked right?"

Red's brow bones raised before he vigorously nodded his head at you. Quickly he stood up and rushed over to you, his hands going to the hem of your shirt.

Panicking you held out your hands to stop him. "Whoa hold on there! I meant as in you could come with me and Sam as we took a bath not undress me. In fact if you know a safe place for us to do so that would be much rather appreciated."

Red backed up a step, a reddish blush marking his cheek bones. Your own brows raised at that. You had no idea that a skeleton could blush. Well you figured that Red couldn't do a lot of things but apparently you were being proven wrong. Like how he had just up and disappeared from right in front of you. Literally! Like, right now! One second he was there and then poof gone! How the hell could that happen?

You stepped forward to where he was standing just a second ago when you suddenly jumped back when he reappeared again. His bones almost collided into yours but thankfully you had moved in time to save yourself. "What the hell!? You can teleport!?"

Red's smirk grew at you excited face. Opening his hand he held it out for you to take. You didn't take it at first. You didn't know if you should. What if he took you somewhere and killed you? What if you were taken to his brother?

Seeming to sense your hesitation he turned to where you had last seen Sam. His bark of a growl had the child's head popping up from the curve of one of the roots he was currently trying to climb. He must have been told to come over as his little body scrambled down the roots so quick you thought he would have tripped on himself. But nope he managed to race over to the two of you. Now that you got a closer look you were glad you were going to give him a bath. He was covered in dirt and if you knew kids then you were sure he had it under his clothes as well. Sam looked at the two of you expectantly as to why he had been called over.

/ **I went to find a place**./

"Where? You were gone for like a second. Why didn't you tell me you could teleport? And before you say "you didn't ask" I wouldn't even have known you could do something like that to begin with." You said placing the hand that held your clothes on your hip as you pointed your finger at him.

/ **There's hot springs in my territory. Was making sure they were still going.** /

Your eye brows shot up at that. Hot springs? That sounded a hell of a lot better than some cold ass creek or river. But what if it was to far away? Or even worse what if something happened to you all along the way? "How far away are they?"

/ **Far. I could give you two a lift**./

"You mean your teleporting thing?" You asked. You did wonder what it was like to teleport. Not that it was the best scenario to do it in but you still weren't going to pass up the opportunity to do it since it was right in front of you.

Red nodded.

"How does that work then?"

Red looked down at Sam before bending down to pick him up by the back of his shirt. The kid immediately went limp like a kitten being picked up by another cat. Handing him to you Red let you take him in your own arms before you were then swept up. You gasped at the sudden change in height and from the feeling of having Red's large bones press you and Sam into his broad chest. One arm went behind your back to rest just under your ass, which you were a hundred percent sure he groped one to many times in the few moments it took him to get you settled, while his other hooked under your legs.

You never thought you would blush from being held like this from a skeleton before. His hold on you was gentle yet firm enough that you nor Sam, whom was clinging to you like a little monkey, would slip. You also never thought he would look so pleased by having you in his arms either. Like the mere idea of it confused you. Why would he look like he just stepped into heaven by just holding you? He was weird. He was acting weird. He didn't look like that of someone having the power of death in their hands. No, instead, he looked like a touch starved dog who was just told that it was the best doggo in the world and would then receive all the pets and cuddles it wanted.

Just as you were going to bark at him when you heard him chuckle at seeing your flushed face the world around you went black. Pressing Sam's race into your chest you tightly shut your eyes to quell the weird feeling that was seeping into your skin from the weird place that was around you. Then not a few seconds later you could feel the odd feeling go away and light caught your attention. Opening your eyes you realized the death grip you had on Sam and quickly loosened it before you could cause him any harm.

Looking around you were indeed met with the sight of several hot spring pools. Some were to small to use but you did see two that would be perfect for you and Sam to bathe in. Excitement swam through you causing you to shiver. You were so ready to get yourself into the relaxing looking water and let your sore body just melt away in it.

Patting Red's chest telling him to let you down you fixed Sam in your arms so that you wouldn't drop him as you were slowly being set on your own two feet. Once you were sure you wouldn’t stumble you set Sam down and walked over with him to one of the larger pools. Placing the clothes on one of the rocks that was there you touched the water to test it’s temperature. You didn't want to set Sam in water that was to hot for him. You don't thing you would live with yourself for setting him into scalding hot water. Such poor judgement wouldn't do. Thankfully the water was just perfect enough for him.

Turning to Sam you quickly undressed yourself and then him. Once the two of you were both naked you stepped in the water almost moaning with how good it felt against your aching body. It felt so good you almost forgot to take Same with you. Turning slightly you held your hands out for him. He happily padded up to you allowing you to pick him up and hold him against you once again as you sat the two of you down comfortably in the water.

There were smaller smooth rocks in the pool making good areas for you to sit on as well as for Sam. Like the one next to you was just perfect for him to sit in the water allowing it to just barely come up to his shoulders. It allowed him to have some freedom while you worked to get rid of all the dirt that had collected on him. You swear he was like a dirt magnet or something. Thankfully you had brought a cloth to bathe him with because good lord did he need a good scrubbing. You were also thankful for the large bottles of soap you apparently had in your bag. They came very much in handy and if you did take a bath every now and again and used them sparingly you could make them last for a good while.

As you were scrubbing his hair rustling from the opposite side of the pool drew your attention over there. Instantly you wish you didn't as you got a good hardy look at the burly skeleton in all his naked glory. You didn't know why or how but just looking at those thick bones of his made you feel warm, and you sure it wasn't the water doing that. Now that his clothes were off you really were able to see the scars and cracks you assumed he had collected over the years. It made him... Well it made him look rather attractive and intimidating. Like what had he gone through to get those and how strong was he to have survived?

"Ow, Mommy!"

Sam's whine made you turn back to the child as he rubbed his ear. Apparently while you were running tour hands through his hair you accidentally jabbed it with your finger. Rubbing where you had accidentally hurt him you apologized. "Sorry baby. I wasn't paying attention. Lets rinse out your hair and then you wont have to deal with my wiggly fingers." You teased tickling his neck making him burst out into a fit of giggles.

Pulling him to you so that he was standing on your legs you encouraged him to lean back a bit. The water wrapped halfway around his head leaving plenty of his face and ears out of the water. Though he knew you weren't going to let him go fully under the water you could still tell he was scared but for tightly he was gripping onto your arms and how tense his body was as you ran water through his hair to get all the soap out. When you finished you stopped your torture and pulled him back up to sit back on his rock again.

"There we go now you look like a little boy again." You smiled. Leaning down you gave him a kiss on his forehead.

"Mommy?" Sam asked as he lifted his head to look up at you.

You hummed letting him know that you had heard him.

"Can I wash your hair?" He looked down at your hair picking up a clump that was stuck to your chest. You looked down at it and then at him thinking about it. As much as you would feel happy to indulge him you thought it was best to wash your own hair. It was rather dirty and you wanted to make sure that it got cleaned correctly. But you couldn't really disappoint him though. Not with that cute face of his.

"How about this, I wash my hair and then you can rinse the soap out. Sounds good?" You asked already reaching for the bottle of hair soap. Sam nodded but then his eyes turned to something that was behind you. You felt the water move and before you had a chance to look you saw Red's arm reach across to grab the bottle from you.

"Hey! I was going to use that you know." You growled.

Red basically ignored you as he popped the cap open and gave the soap a sniff. At first you thought he was going to drink it when he brought it up to his face. You even were about to dare him to try and drink it just to get a kick out of his annoying ass but you didn't. That would be a waste of good soap. Instead you watched as he squirted some into his palm, which surprisingly held the soap.

Handing you back the bottle he motioned with his finger for you to turn around. Your face went from shock then to a glare when you realized what he was wanting to do. At first your dumb mind thought he was going to wash his own bald skull but when he did that it clicked. You were not going to let him near your head. No matter how good you thought his fingers might feel when they massaged your scalp. You just weren’t going to let him have access to your very snap-able neck.

"No. I can do it myself. Go back to your side." You growled.

Red seemed to be annoyed by that and it was confirmed when you heard Sam talk for him.

"He said quit being a bitch and let him do it." Sam said it as a innocent child would since he didn't know the meaning behind the word. So you didn't hold it against him when he said it. You did however snarl at Red.

"Call me a bitch again and I'll drown you."

Red gave you a snort as if to sarcastically say "sure you will". Grabbing your head with the one that didn't have soap he turned it to make you face Sam again. Of course your growl got ignored.

You sat there waiting nervously for him to do what you were sure he was going to do to you, which was obviously kill you. Though as each second passed by and he had yet to touch your head you couldn't help but slowly turn to look at him. Yet you were nearly scared clean out of the water when you felt something that definitely wasn't his bones slide across your shoulder.

"What the fuck are you doing!?" You shrieked.

/ **Cleaning you**./ Red growled with a cocky grin on his face.

"I can clean my body by myself! You are supposed to wash my hair, if your not going to do it then leave me alone so I can do it myself." You hissed. You heard Red chuckle at you and before you could snap at him again his hands went to work on your hair.

Like you had thought his hands did feel good. You just weren't going to tell him that though. He was a cocky asshole already and you weren't going to stoke his ego by letting him know that. But his fingers massaged your scalp just the perfect way that you couldn't help but lean back into his hands. Hell you could even feel your body relax as well to where you didn't even notice that you were now resting yourself against Red's bare chest.

In the end you had managed to pass out on Red. You guessed you must have been really tired since when you had woke up, thanks to Sam nearly jumping onto your lap, you noticed that the sun was already dipping behind the trees. You had definitely slept for more than a few hours. Leaning forward you felt something heavy was wrapped around your waist. Looking down you blushed at finding it was Red's arm and for the fact that you were practically on top of him.

What!? How? When had he? You wracked your brain to find the possible moment when he could have moved you without you walking up but your mind drew a blank. Well it didn't matter anymore since you were getting out now anyways.

Trying to get up again you were glad that Red let you. Quickly getting off of him you climbed out of the pool with Sam. You didn't have a towel to dry you nor him off with so for now you used your shirt that you had taken off. Not the best choice but it was better than nothing. Once you got him dry you made quick work to get him in his onesie. You didn't want for him to get sick from the cold air and you just also really wanted to see him in it. Once you got it on him though you almost died from a cuteness overload. He was just so adorable in it and you couldn't help the kiss attack that you gave him from it.

"Sta-ha-hawp!" Sam laughed trying to push you away from his face.

"I can't your just soo~ cute!" You teased pulling him to you so you could give him the biggest hug you could give.

At the sound of Red getting out of the water you realized that you were still naked. A slight blush dusted your face at the other fact that you were crouching down and probably giving him a good view of your ass and sex. Letting Sam go you quickly grabbed the shirt and dried yourself off before pulling on your underwear. As you were reaching for your pants and clean shirt that had been placed on the rock you felt something fly by your head.

Looking in the direction where it went your eyes went wide at the site of a very large bone spike that was sticking out of the ground. You weren't dumb. You knew where it came from and who had thrown it. It just made you mad that you had been right this whole time. I Knew it! I knew this fucking skeleton couldn't be trusted. You yelled in your head.

Turning around you were thrown off by what you saw. Red wasn't even looking at you instead he was turned away from you with his arm stretched out in front of him. The extended arm glowed red much like his namesake as it enveloped a massive snake that was trying to bite him. Beads of sweat coated his skull as you saw that it was indeed taking a lot of effort to hold it back. Your earlier thought about Red attacking you vanished at the sight of the snake. It was indeed very large. It was thicker than Red was wide and longer than a school buss.

Grabbing Sam you held the child close to you and tried to move away from Red and the large snake. Though as you backed up the hairs on the back of your neck stood on end. You didn't need to see to know that something was behind you. The thing was though whether or not you had enough time to escape. Turning your head slightly your heart sank at the realization that you wouldn't be able to. There already coiled to strike was a much larger snake that was flicking its black forked tongue towards you.

Your mind ran a mile a minute thinking as to what you should do. Red was spearing the snake he had pinned but by the time he would make a movement to you it would be to late. You couldn't flee. It would attack the moment you made any sudden movements. It was no use. Someone was going to die by this snake. It just wasn’t going to be Sam. Not today.

Breathing out slowly you shakily lowered your head to give Sam one last kiss on his head. "I'm sorry baby." You whispered.

Sam looked up at you with sad confused eyes. "Mommy?"

"Be good for Red ok? Listen to him and don't leave his side... I love you so much." Tears pricked your eyes but you wouldn't let him see them. You made sure his head was down as you looked at the giant snake again. Its body slightly twitching as it anxiously waited to strike.

In what felt like a matter of seconds the scene flashed like a photographer's camera, taking picture after picture as it played out. You turned looking towards Red, your mouth open as you called out to him. He turning with both shock and fear. The moment you threw Sam at him as the snake lunged. The snake sinking its teeth into your shoulder as it started to coil around your body. And the last scream you could give as the delicate feeling of your life slipped away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will you live!?! Is this the end of our dear reader!?! What happened to Sam? And how will Red feel about this and what's going to happen?
> 
> Also, who the frick frack are these new skeletons!?!?


	4. Healing Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red kills the snakes, we get healed by new skeletons, Edge is scary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Opens HITP mailbox only to get flooded by mail*
> 
> Oh mah gah! Im sorry i've put this off for, what? 2 months? Well either way im back, I'm writing, and ya'll get another cliffhanger cus i love ya. 
> 
> Also happy holidays! Idk if chap 6 will be out before then since im trying to push the next chapter of Bracken Bow out. But I still hope you have a good one.

**Damn it!**

**Damnit!Damnit!Damnit!**

He messed up. He royally, absolutely, positively, fucked up.

And everything was going so well to.

He had you safe. Had you trusting him more than when you had first met. Had you opening up to him little by little. Showed you that there was no danger that would come to you by staying with him. Even when you were naked and vulnerable in front of him. Had you trusting him enough to actually rest on him, though most of that was due to your own exhaustion, but still! And then this shit happens.

Red snarled as he used his magic to slam the large snake into the ground just as he caught Sam and saw the other snake clamp down on you. If he had skin he was sure you would have been able to see the blood drain from his face at seeing you. Though it would have been quickly replaced with anger. Forming another bone spear he threw it at the snake on you. This time it actually did hit the damn thing unlike before where it had gotten to close to you when he had to turn and face the other, stopping it with his magic before it got him instead.

The spear pierced the snake in its eye causing it to let you go from its mouth but not completely freeing you from its coils. Until he sent another its way in which it stabbed it in the neck under its jaw. Releasing a hiss in both pain and anger the snake dropped you. While it was thrashing around Red did the same with the other yet he was able to kill this one immediately. Its head being skewered into the ground.

When the snake moved far enough away from you he created a few more spears and launched them at the snake again. Like the other it died as it was kabob'ed into the dirt a few yards away. Red didn't rush to you right then. He checked the area that he could see for anymore danger and when seeing no more snakes or other things that could possibly kill you he, none to gracefully, plopped Sam on the ground as he made his way to you.

Dropping to one knee he started to panic at what he saw. You definitely had some broken bones, if the odd way your arm was bent was explanation enough to tell, and he could see that the bite that the snake had given might have punctured something important. Thankfully the snake wasn't venomous. There was no prominent fang marks which was a tell-tell sign of venomous snakes but the teeth that had sunk into you were still just as sharp and dangerous.

Red didn't know if he should touch you. He didn't want to hurt you more than what you were already were but he needed to get you out of here. He couldn't heal you. He was shit when it came to green magic. He was useless on that end but he knew who was. He just didn't want to take you to them. It would just mess up all that he had worked so hard to get with you for. But right now what he wanted didn't matter. He **needed** to help you. He needed to make sure you lived.

Using his magic he picked you up as softly as he could, laying you in his arms. Standing up he almost forgot about the kid. Walking over he grabbed him by his clothes before teleporting away.

* * *

Dings sighed as he rocked himself on his hammock that was outside of his hut. One leg was out and used to kick the floor softly to give him the motion he wanted. They had just got back from checking the tide pools. They didn't find much today but what they brought back was already being cleaned by Blue so that they could use it for dinner. Though he could go for something other than fish again. Maybe some of those rabbits he had seen heading inland? That would mean leaving his hammock since they wouldn't come towards the beaches. The salt water made the vegetation and grass close to their home to salty for the large rodents to eat.

Dings opened his eyes as he looked up towards the canopy of branches and vines above him. He needed to trim some of them back before they decided to try and cover his hut. Cant sleep in his bed if the entrance is blocked.

A gust of wind brought the smell of the sea to him. He liked the smell. Not the dead fish smell that it would smell like sometimes but the smell of the salt water and the warm air. It was calming to him. But as he breathed in he caught the scent of something else. No it wasn't something. It was someone. And from the sound of angry barking he didn't have to think hard to know that it was Red.

Dings groaned lifting his hands to his face. What did the brute want with them now? Wasn't what they traded with his brother enough? Dings thought about Red. No. Nothing with the Fell beta was enough.

"DINGS!" He heard Blue call as his youngest brother raced over.

"Just give him something shiny Blue and he'll leave." Ding huffed as he rolled over to look away from his brother.

"I DONT THINK A SHINY THING WILL HELP HIS FEMALE! PLEASE GET UP SHE NEEDS OUR HELP IMMEDIATELY!" Blue said, worry clear as the day in his voice.

Blue's words caught Dings' attention. Sitting up in his hammock he looked over to his fidgeting brother. "There are no females here Blue. Haven't seen one since we came out of the tree." It was true. There were no females what so ever in this damn place and even if there was they wouldn't last long here. Not with so many males running around.

"BUT THERE IS! SHE EVEN HAS A PUP WITH HER!"

"Blue-"

"he's telling the truth." Stretch's voice said as he teleported in the middle of his brothers. "you can see when you get over and look at her. don't think she'll last long though. seems like she had a nasty run in with those snakes down south."

Dings sighed as he got up. Might as well look for himself since both of his brothers were so adamant about it. "Fine, lets see what happened."

Following Blue as he led them to where their main camp was he had to stop himself when the delicate and sweet scent of an actual female caught his attention. That was more than enough confirmation than he needed as he picked up speed towards camp. Rounding the corner of the main hut Dings found Red standing there near the entrance with her in his arms, the pup having been placed on the ground where it clung to his leg as it cried.

The female herself looked small but then again having such large skeletons around her would make her seem that way. She also looked a mess. Her hair was wet and her lips were already starting to turn blue from the cold and the fact she wasn't wearing anything but the strange pieces of cloth over her chest and ass. He could smell blood coming from somewhere on her but he needed to get her inside if he was to see where. Turning to the entrance he pulled back the woven screen so that he could motion with his hand for Red to come inside.

Red didn't say anything as he came in. Hell he even didn't want to place her down on the pile of bedding when Dings had instructed him to do so. In fact Dings actually had to use his magic on the growling skeleton to pry her out of his arms. Placing her on the bedding he checked out the damage. It was... pretty bad. Your right arm was broken in several places along with one of your legs. Then there was the bruising that was starting to form around your ribs and from the way your skin rose a bit in one spot he could tell that a few of them were broken. Then there was the bite marks that was no doubt from a large snake.

"Blue I need you here." Dings ordered as he grabbed her arm. He needed to set it before they started to heal it or else it wouldn't be usable. Blue didn't waste time on getting to his side. He looked scared but was ready to do what he was told. "Grab her here. I'm going to pull and when I do you need to start healing till I say stop."

Blue nodded. He looked down at your arm and grabbing, where Dings had told him to, winced when the older skeleton pulled on your arm before setting the bone back in place. The crunch had every skeleton there cringe.

"Now."

Blue didn't waste a beat. Allowing his free hand to glow green he poured a good amount of magic into your arm. It wasn't enough to completely heal it but it was enough to have the bone heal enough so that it wouldn't move or rebreak. He slowly moved his hand down your shoulder until he got to your elbow where Ding was healing, his long fingers wrapping around your arm keeping it still as you started to stir from the magic. Pushing more into you he tried to get it to a well off state before you opened your eyes. It wasn't good that you were waking up but that was because of the magic. Not that they wanted you to wake up yet. It would have been best that you didn't so that they could finish doing what they needed to do.

"Oh! W-what? What's going on?" You asked with a hoarse scared voice. Trying to move you started to panic when Blue and Dings stood up to hold you down. "N-no! Let...go!" As you struggled pain caused you to cough causing blood to well up in your mouth and tears to stream down your face as you tried to look for your son and the one you entrusted them to. "Sam... Red?"

Immediately a green glowing hand was placed over your eyes sending soothing waves into your mind. you could hear a calm voice talking to you. It sounded reassuring as if it was telling you that they were fine. They were safe. You were safe. That everything was going to be ok so long as you just relaxed. Maybe if you fell asleep? No. The voice sounded like it didn't want you to though. Then you felt something pet your head. This hand was heavier. It reminded you of Red's. It could have been his right? You tilted your head toward him when the hand on your eyes lifted, your eyelids to heavy for you to even open them.

Red and Dings sighed when you finally calmed down. When it seemed that Dings and Blue were unable to hold you down themselves he handed your pup off to Stretch and stepped in. Luckily he didn't have to do it long since Dings used some of his magic to calm your mind. When Dings removed his hand your head sought out his that was gently stroking your hair. It was more of a way to calm himself down but he was glad you were enjoying it as well.

"Is mommy going to be ok?" Sam asked hiccupping, his own eyes were puffy from his own tears.

"she'll be ok. c'mon lets get you something to clean off your face." Stretch said picking Sam up by the waist like he was a sack of potatoes.

"But I want to stay with Mommy!" Sam whined trying to wiggle free.

"its fine kid. go with him, ah'll watch over ya mom till ya get back." Reds deep voice spoke. He did not bother to look up at Sam but his words did calm the pup down enough to agree. The sound of Stretch walking out of the hut with Sam was enough to make him look up at Dings. "how much more ya got ta do?"

"Don't go getting antsy on me. We still have her leg to do and then we need to work on her chest. Actually while I'm doing her leg, Blue, you can work on some of those broken ribs." Dings explained already shuffling over to your injured leg. Luckily it wasn't to bad and once he finished it he would help finish the wounds on your chest. For a beat up female you did look rather sturdy. He was sure anyone else your size would have been eaten or even dead way before Red was able to bring you to them.

Dings glanced up at your face. You weren't bad looking. To his surprise you were actually quite pretty. Now given he hasn't seen very many females before you but still he did still found you rather attractive. The only downside to your beauty was Red though. He was sure to be a thorn at his side if Dings wanted to try to get any closer than what he was already getting with you. Though knowing the brute and Edge he was sure you would be visiting him on more than one occasion. Though still his healing would have you done and ready to go if he woke you up tonight. If he could convince Red to leave you here for a few days then maybe he could wedge himself between the two a bit to give him a good enough foothold to have your attention on him as well. Red may be all there with the muscle but with what he had he lacked in brains.

Well not completely.

Dings had to give Red at least some credit. On more than one occasion Red had shown them that he did have a brain in that skull of his. Like the pulley system he had showed Dings and Black to make when they needed to take up heavy things from a high or low place. Although, again, it was a rare thing.

Finishing with your leg and taking out that piece of metal he had found in it, to which he mentally questioned where you had got it, he shooed Blue away. His smaller brother already looked tired and honestly speaking he was to. Though with how much Blue had done he wouldn't have to do much more himself either. Most of the bite holes had already closed and some of the ribs were already back in place. From what he could see all he really had to do was focus on your ribs. Unfortunately you were going to end up with some scars from the snake bite but they shouldn't be to bothersome. Here scars showed you were strong and if Red and Axe were anything to go off of then you were proving yourself just enough for others to not make you out to be a weakling.

Removing his hands when he completed healing you Dings sat back with a tired sigh. "That's it. All the visible ones are scared over or fully healed Now all we can do is just let her rest."

"Good then ah'll take her back with me." Red said sliding his hand that had still been petting you under your head and was about to lift you when Dings stopped him.

"Don't you listen!?" He hissed grabbing Red's wrist earning him a warning growl and a deadly glare. "Listen you big boned numbskull. I said "visible" injuries. We won't know where else she might be hurt so leave her alone until she either shows more signs or wakes up."

"well ah ain't leaving her here with ya fish stink'en fucks. stars knows what ya will do ta her when no ones look'en." Red growled but still placed you back onto the bed.

"What we'll **do** is help her Red. We are not like those clawing around in the north and rip up anything we see." Dings said with a bit of annoyance. Like he was really that dumb to try and violate you. He and his brothers may have not seen any tail during their heats but they sure as hell weren't desperate enough to do something that reckless. Dings sighed rubbing his brow bones. "Listen she is going to be out for a while so why don't you tell Edge that she's fine before he comes kicking down my door again."

Red froze and it was not missed by Dings.

"So he doesn't know." Dings said rather than asked.

"ain't going ta till she's able ta stand up against him. can't have him ruining what ah worked for these few days." Red looked at your closed eyes. It was true after all. His brother always took what he wanted and if he were to know of you before he was able to claim you for himself then everything he was working to build would just crumble like a pile of poorly stacked sticks. Honestly speaking, and he rarely spoke bad about his brother, he was just as bad as Black. The little short shit was a royal pain in the ass and drove hard bargains for items that they needed to trade but when he set his sights on something he really wanted then you were sure hoped he didn't send Rus for it.

"Does he know where you are now? If you have been staying with her without telling him then he's sure to be looking for you by now. If I were you I would wash her scent off and then go to him before he comes to you."

Red growled at the fact that Dings was right. Yet that didn't mean that he wanted to leave you alone with them. He would also have to leave Sam here to. The runt was sure to though a hissy fit if he were to take him with Red and not only that but Edge was sure to kill the pup the moment he saw it. No the pup was safer here. Hopefully his brother wouldn't be to pissed that he had been gone for so long and demand that he stay at the den for to long. He wanted to come back to you as soon as he was able less he lost what he had gained to these fish smelling fucks.

Getting to his feet Red gave you one last pet on the head before he turned to leave the hut. "ah'll be back in a few days and when ah do ah'm tak'en her back."

"Yes, yes, whatever you say." Dings said waving him away as he to stood to grab one of the large furs that was folded on a makeshift shelf. Shaking it, because on more than one occasion he had found a furry friend trying to seek warmth on the furs, he came back over to you to cover you up. The fur was thankfully long enough to cover you and then some. Though he was sure you wouldn't want to be smothered by it he folded the top to where your head and s bit of your shoulders were exposed.

Just as he finished trying to make you comfortable Dings heard the small steps of your pup coming to the hut. Red was no longer in it so he could only assume that he had told the pup that he was going to leave for a while and for him to keep an eye on you till Red got back. It was almost laughable but Dings had to give it to Red. The big oaf was doing his best with what little he had.

"Is mommy ok now?" Sam asked coming into the hut.

"Yes. She is only sleeping now but you must not make to much noise alright? She is very tired." Dings said patting the spot next to him as he sat himself back down next you. "Why don't you tell me what happened. How did your mother end up being so hurt?"

Sam looked at the spot that Dings was trying to get him to sit on and then at you. Of course Dings should have expected that he wouldn't want to be to far from you as the pup walked over to your other side to sit close to your head. His small hands going to pick up a lock of your hair to play with as he tried to recall what had happened.

"Mommy and I were taking a bath with Red. She washed me first and said I could do her hair but then Red took the soap away and did it for her. Mommy was really tired and took a nap on Red but then she woke up and we got out of the water. It was cold. I wanted to go back in the water but mommy was already putting me in my clothes." He explained letting your hair go to tug on the zipper of his onesie but not actually take it off. "Then the snakes came. One was fighting with Red and mommy got caught by the other one."

Dings saw the child's eyes grow misty as he recalled how his mother had saved his life.

"Mommy threw me at Red and then the snake grabbed her. I was so scared. I thought it was going to take my mommy away. I thought I was not going to see her again but then Red threw a white stick at it and it went into the snakes eye. That's when it let mommy go. I wanted to go to mommy but Red wouldn't let me till the snake stopped moving. Then he dropped me grabbed mommy and brought us here." Sam rubbed at his eyes trying to get rid of the tears that were starting to form.

"Your mother is vary brave." Dings said drawing the kids attention.

"She is! When we first met Red she tried to fight him!" Sam said excitedly.

"Did she?" Dings asked. He knew it was because you were trying to probably scare Red off to protect your pup but a fight with Red would only end up in a loss for you. And Sam's next words only confirmed that.

"Yeah, but then he threw her on the ground and they stopped fighting after that. Mommy still yells at Red though. He tried to sleep in our bed and mommy got mad and chased him out."

Now that actually made Dings chuckle. Seeing in his mind you pissed off and angry trying to chase the larger skeleton out of your den was rather comical. Actually now that he thought about it he wondered where you were living that caught Red's attention but not Edge's. Yeah the place they lived on was rather large but Edge always made sure his territory was well patrolled. Normally if anything entered it he or Red would know before whatever entered it got very far. So that meant that you entered from someone else's territory or you came from the tree like they had. If it was the tree it could explain why Edge had yet to know about you. The feeling of old magic buried deep in its ancient roots unsettled many of the skeletons. Edge being one of them did not like to go close to the tree so that was logical enough. Though that still didn't tell him where you had made your den.

"Your mother and you, where do you both live?" Dings asked.

"We live in a tree." Sam said like it was obvious.

"What kind of tree?"

"A big one! It super tall but we live on the bottom in a hole in it. Mommy made it really nice and clean and made a really big bed with some stuff she brought."

"Do you know where she got the things from?"

Sam shook his head. "I was asleep when mommy brought them."

Dings sighed. So you were staying at the tree. Well at least it was a neutral zone. No one had the right to chase you out of there since no one could actually claim the territory without setting off a war of sorts. So long as you were staying there and not in anyone's actual area then it would be easy for him and his brothers to visit you if they wanted. So long as you stayed there and weren't dragged away by edge. Though then again if Axe were to find out about you then that would be really troublesome.

The large skeleton may be well versed when it came to hunting and eating but when it came to staying in one's own territory it was like talking to a frog. All you got was a croak and a bottomless stomach. Dings looked at the covered entrance of the hut. It was going to be getting even colder in the next few days. That meant that Axe and Paps were going to be on the move as they looked for more prey before they went back to hibernate for the remaining winter. There was very likely a chance that they would catch your scent and follow it to where you currently lived. Red, Edge, and Rus, may be strong but when it came down to Axe they were going to be in for a tough fight if they so wish to keep you.

Dings sighed for what seemed like the tenth time that night. _When it rains it really does pour doesn't it?_ He thought to himself.

* * *

Red cautiously walked up to the hollowed fallen tree they called home. Its massive haul being dug out and used as scraps for many of the things that Red made to trade. The inside had been decked with all the things they either collected, traded, or stole. Especially the pile of furs that Red loved to sleep on. It was his most favorite spot to be when he was in the camp. Now though this place seemed more like a prison than a home.

Red wanted nothing more than to go back to you and the pup. As much as he was thankful for them healing and saving you he still didn't trust them alone with you. Dings may seem lazy and uninterested in many things like Stretch but unlike his shorter brother Dings' mind was dangerous. All he needed was a good amount of information and a well thought out plan and that was it. That mind of his very nearly cost Red and Edge their own territory on more than one occasion. Especially when they were trying to decide how the territory were supposed to be divided.

Coming to the entrance of their den Red was surprised to find that his brother was not inside. Instead the den looked like no one had been in it since he left that day he found you. That didn't settle right with Red. Yeah he had been gone for a few days but his brother should not have left to look for him till now.

As Red was about to go inside a raspy gravely voice broke the chilled silence of the night.

"Its About Time You Came Home **Brother**."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam: My mommy is the strongest in the world!!
> 
> Reader *battered and broken on deaths door*: I love you to son.


End file.
